General Bearing Corporation (West Nyack, New York) announced it has increased its investment in and control of Ningbo General Bearing Co., Ltd. (Ningbo, China) to 50%. Its local partner is China Ningbo Genda Group Co., Ltd.

One important result is that General Bearing management will now take full operating control of the business.

David Gussack, General Bearing's President, said, "NGBC has successfully served the U.S. automotive industry for five years. However, demand for the General Bearing blend of cost and quality is very strong. Absent this increased investment, demand will eventually outstrip capacity. This investment will be used both for plant expansion and quality initiatives, positioning General for continued growth."

The venture was begun in 1996, the plant opened in 1997 and began shipping product in June 1998.

Ningbo is General Bearing's third joint-venture facility in China. The factory is now approximately 100,000 square feet, producing ball bearings and tapered roller bearings in standard automotive sizes.

The factory is ISO9002 and QS9000 certified, and in October 2000 received Ford's Q1 quality award.